Ecological restoration and Aboriginal cultural connections on Jali Seven Mile Heath and Wetland (2013-14)
North Coast Local Land Services
The project will restore an area of high conservation value heath and wetland through environmental weed control at the Seven Mile lands in ownership of the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council. The project will also address capacity building and participation of the Aboriginal community and a Jali Green Team in cultural connection and land management. In addition, the project aims to develop a better understanding amongst the broader community of Indigenous cultural heritage and connections to country.
Green Team members (and parts of the Jali community) are confronted by socio-economic disadvantage and marginalisation include lack of full-time employment, poor health and loss of connection to their culture and the land. Consequently there is limited capacity to provide leadership in their own community, and the project proposes 6 group based sessions with Rekindling the Spirit to address some of these issues.
In addition Cultural connections will be strengthened through 3 sessions with the Cultural Sites Officer and a representative Elder from the Jali community. These sessions will explore the significance of a number of important sites in the area from Lennox Head to Broken Head. This engendered knowledge will compliment outcomes for the NSW Environmental Trust - Restoration of Jali Heath and Wetland Stage 2 project.
A field day targeting the general community will be held and involve a tour of the work site, discussion of cultural heritage values in the area and presentation and display of a number of media products describing these significant local sites, artefacts and the importance of both cultural connections and environmental restoration techniques to restoring country.